Following initiatives announced in the Railway Budget 2013 for Tamil Nadu, let’s see how many actually come to effect…. (we are still waiting for the Chennai Bengaluru Double Decker Train to start (it was announced in 2012 Budget) ):
New Lines
1) Sriperambudur-Guduvanchery with spur to Irunkattukotti-Avadi
2) Thanjavur-Pattukkottai
3) Karaikal-Peralam (line existed long ago)
Doubling
1) Chennai Central-Basin Bridge Junction (5th & 6th lines);
Surveys
For New Lines
1) Aloor-Nagarcoil-Chettikulam
2) Karaikkudi-Dindigul
3) Karaikkudi-Madurai (updating)
4) Morappur-Dharmapuri (updating)
5) Thanjavur-Ariyalur (Updating)
6) Tirunelveli-Sankarankoil via Pettai,Pudur,SendamaramVeerasigmamani
For doubling
1) Tirupati – Katpadi
New Trains
1) Chennai – Karaikudi Express (Weekly)
2) Chennai – Palani Express (Daily) Via Jolarpettai, Salem, Namakkal, Karur (probably the 1st passenger service on Salem Namakkal Karur line)
3) Chennai Egmore – Thanjavur Express (Daily) Via Villupuram,Mayiladuthurai
4) Chennai – Nagarsol (For Sai Nagar Shirdi) Express (Weekly) Via Renigunta, Dhone, Kacheguda
5) Chennai – Velankanni Link Express (Daily) Via Villupuram,Mayiladuthurai, Tiruvarur
6) Coimbatore – Mannargudi Express (Daily) Via Tiruchchirappalli, Thanjavur, Nidamangalam
7) Coimbatore – Rameswaram Express (Weekly)
8) Howrah – Chennai AC Express (Bi-weekly) Via Bhadrak, Duvvada, Gudur
9) Nagercoil – Bangalore Express (Daily) Via Madurai,Tiruchchirappalli
10) Puducherry – Kanniyakumari Express (Weekly) Via Villupuram, Mayiladuthurai, Tiruchchirappalli
11) Tirupati – Puducherry Express (Weekly)
12) Palani-Tiruchendur Passenger (Daily)
MEMU
1) Chennai – Tirupati
Extension of existing Trains
1) 16127/16128 Chennai-Madurai portion of Chennai-Guruvayur Express to Tuticorin
2) 12605/12606 Chennai-Tiruchchirappalli Express to Karaikudi
3) 12653/12654 Mangalore – Tiruchchirappalli Express to Puducherry
4) 56513/56514 Bangalore-Nagore Passenger to Karaikal
5) 56700/56701Madurai-Kollam Passenger to Punalur
6) 56709/56710 Madurai-Dindigul Passenger to Palani
7) 76837/76838 Karaikudi-Manamadurai DEMU to Virudunagar after gauge conversion
Increase in Freq.
1) 22615/22616 Coimbatore-Tirupati Express 3 to 4 days
2) 12687/12688 Madurai – Dehradun/Chandigarh Express 1 to 2 days (Surprisingly this train is yet to be introduced – it was the extension of Chennai – Dehradun/Chandigard Express)
3) 56321 Kanniyakumari-Tirunelveli Passenger 6 to 7 days
4) 56325 Nagercoil – Kanniyakumari Passenger 6 to 7 days
5) 56312 Tirunelveli – Nagercoil Passenger 6 to 7 days
Gauge Conversion projects to be completed in 2012-13
1) Pollachi-Kinattukkadavu of Pollachi-Podanur
2) Muthalamada-Palakkad of Pollachi-Palakkad
3) Sengottai-Bhagavathipuram
Doubling projects to be completed in 2012-13
1) Ariyalur-Kallakkudi Palanganatham
2) Attipattu-Ennore 4th line
3) Melmaruvthur-Tozhuppedu
4) Ottivakkam-Madurantakam
5) Tindivanam-Perani
Sections to be Electrified in 2012-13
1) Kanniyambadi-Vellore Cantt
2) Shoranur-Elattur
New Line projects to be completed in 2013-14
1) Walajah Road-Arcot
Gauge Conversion projects to be completed in 2013-14
1) Minakshivaram-Palakkad
Sections proposed to be doubled in 2013-14
1) Golden Rock byepass
2) Ottivakkam-Karunguzhi
3) Tiruvottiyur-Ennore
4) Tozhuppedu-Olakur-Tindivanam
5) Ulundurpet-Parikkal
6) Vridhachalam Jn to Ulundurpet
Why cann’t they just focus on doubling a single route before they start working on the other routes? This way at least the that work will get all the funds and be able to see the light of the day and start earning for the railways… Currently many projects are announced and piece-meal funds allotment is made, making it highly impossible to make any progress… it takes years to complete the projects… If Railways where to prioritise and focus their funds & energies on 1 or 2 projects before other projects are taken up it would help everybody…
Other announcements:
30 services in Chennai to be converted to 12-car